A SeЯies of Interesting Events
by The Sky Hedgehogian Maestro
Summary: Picture your evening going like this- a book twice your size and ten times your weight falls on your face, and then the world falls apart. This is the kind of fate that has befallen Sonic, and the consequences frame far beyond what he imagined. Whether they exist for a reason is the real question of the night.
1. Terrifyingly Interesting

_A Series of Interesting Events_

_By: The Sky Hedgehogian Maestro_

* * *

Chapter One: Terrifyingly Interesting

* * *

_**I**_t was a normal evening in Central Osea Park. Osea is a coastal city set along a shoreline. The air smells of fresh palm trees, and the crashes of ocean waves tickles everyone's ears. That day, a huge picnic was sponsored by the city. Throngs of people of all different shapes, sizes, and species arrive to have a good time. One of those in attendance was resident superhero, Sonic the Hedgehog.

Sonic and his best friend, Tails, sat on top of a hill over looking the entire park. While Tails tinkered on another one of his myriad of mechanical gizmos, Sonic watched in peace as everyone else played in the fields and woods below. That was until a most unusual book fell in Sonic's face, unleashing _**a series of interesting events**_.

* * *

OoOo~OoOoOo~OoOoOoOo~OoOo~OoOo~OoOoOo~OoOoOoOo~OoOo

"Ouch!" our hedgehog yelps. It's in the act of swatting the book off of his face that he experiences first hand that it is not a light endeavour- despite a sweeping slap, it thuds millimetres from his ear. Tails sets his finger under its spine and heaves, then tries again, and lifts it to his knees. Seeing his strain, Sonic joins in and they're able to suspend it to no more than their middle guts.

"Did you even see where it came from?" Tails says with a minor struggle.

"Nah! But man, did it come in fast." _**THUMP**_. People a football field away twist their heads toward them. After rubbing his face and straightening his nose, Sonic cautiously taps the book with his pinky finger not unlike if it were a live, unstable grenade. The book, when the two lift it to its base, stands imperiously, completely blocking out Sonic's shade even as he steps back what would be three times his shadow's length. It's colours are a menagerie of faded pinks, lavenders, and ivories. Several yellow, crinkled pages sit uneven with the rest. Rubbing his fingers on one jutting page, Sonic gives it a tug and guesses that the tome must be several hundred years old. Many odd, alien symbols and unintelligible cursive words cover its bent spine.

"It _couldn't_ have just fallen from the sky like that, right?" Tails takes another close look at the book. His head is abuzz with theories. The most frustrating thing about this book is that he cannot understand the words on its spine but the more he studies, the more its enigmatic origins begin combing at his eyes.

"Weird thing is," Sonic begins, throwing his hip outwards, "_that's what happened!_ But there's no would it should have." Sonic attempts to pick up the book once more. Within seconds, his muscles began to ache before he falls to the ground. "Phew! At least, not in _my_ book!"

Tails scratches his chin for a second, thinking about just how such an odd and random occurrence could possibly have happened. Give the red sky above a glance. Aside from crimson wisps of clouds dancing across the sky and the occasional evening crow flying to its urban home, it's empty. There's not a plane nor a helicopter in sight. Despite the setting, there's not even a kite. If it were from, let's just go with this for now, a flying saucer, there's no UFO to show for it. No ordinary wind gust could have possibly picked up something that heavy. In fact, no wind had brushed across his face all afternoon.

"Let's take this unidentified flying book back to your workshop." Sonic chuckles as he carries the exaggerated thing, one eye closed and work-driven sweat already wettening the hairs on his fur and near his arm pits. "Little help, bro?"

"But what about the basket?" Tails nods his head to the side, prompting Sonic to let loose a semi-confused 'Uh', before shaking his head in a whittled response.

"What's the worst that could happen?"

_Oh well. I guess nothing'll happen. _

A few minutes after they leave their spot, the ever-devious and cunning Dr. Robotnik sneaks up to the once inhabited space and accidentally steps in a picnic basket full of sandwiches, chips, and chili dogs. _Tons and tons of chili dogs. _

"Who put this ... _chili dogs_? Only one person I know would have thought to have brought _this_ many _chili dogs _to a picnic! _Sonic the Hedgehog!_" the mad doctor grumbles as he clenches his gloved fists. Gloved is to be mentioned since they are not his normal showman gloves, as these characters tend to wear. Instead, they are of a well-sown industrial brand, with a hard fabric hued a tan orange layered above a silver-grey underside. " Aha... my lovely _Chronus Ray!_ Now where is he..."

Eggman looks up and down and around, thinking that Sonic may be still among the hordes of humans and anthros elsewhere in the park. A 'don't-give-a-sweet-damn' impulse drives him to raise his hand level to the crowds. Fire! A dark indigo laser rushes from the nozzle and spreads out like a wild hose. The flash startles all in his way, and Eggman belays a massive laugh to let their frozen remnants know he was here. He has their souls, and has taken his archnemesis's life.

At least, that what would have happened had his weapon worked. All he has is their attention.

"Look, it's Doctor Robotnik!"

"_Nooo!_ I thought I _fixed_ that problem!" Eggman slams his foot down repeatedly and kicks off the Chronus Ray. "_**You worthless, backwards conglomeration of wasted, ill-spent time!**_" Veins flex on his bald head, leading us viewers to see him with a sinisterly plant-like appearance.

Unfortunately for the Eggman, six police officers are stationed nearby and have not forgotten what they have now assumed was a handgun. Before he can react, two push him to the ground and one thrusts his hand onto his back. It takes three more to restrain his arms and legs. Robotnik's face is wiped across the dirt. He spits out bits of grass and broken autumn leaves. However, he is unable to stop the policemen from forcing handcuffs and shackles on him.

"Looks like we fin'lly gotcha', Eggman!" says one officer.

"I guess we don't need Sonic to stop you," adds another.

"_YOU WON'T BE ABLE TO RESTRAIN ME FOREVER! I __**WILL**__ ESCAPE, AND WHEN I DO, YOU WILL RUE THE DAY YOU UNLEASHED THE WRATH OF __**DR. EGGMAN!**_" Robotnik screams as he is lifted to his feet. In fact, it seems he has lifted himself _off_ of his feet for a panicked kick to one of the officer's faces.

"Oh **puh**-_lease_, do you even have any wrath left?" that same officer rebuttals. This police officer is referring to the most recent attack by Eggman on the Sonic heroes. Team Rose, Amy, Cream, and Big, defeated Eggman and his latest plans for world domination all by themselves without any help at all from Sonic or any of his friends.

"Um. Yes, I do, a little. _But even a little of my wrath is enough to strike fear and terror in the hearts of millions!_"

"Well, now, Eggy... Your wrath will have to wait a few decades to strike fear and terror in the hearts of anybody." Robotnik is led towards a high security police van.

"_Whoo wee_! If you want to know about something that can strike fear and terror in the hearts of millions, try some of my Aunt Matilda's homemade spicy chili," says one cop. "It will redefine 'gas warfare'." Dr. Eggman blankly stares at the man.

So down went Robotnik, and the Chronus Ray is the debris! Here comes Amy and Cream, perhaps out for a dusk stroll?

"Amy! Amy! Look!" Cream points to the police rassling with Robotnik. Robotnik grabs the bars of a window, throwing a psychotic scowl at the two as they stare back at him with somewhat nervous but calm stares.

"Nice to see the police finally catching Eggman for once." Amy trips and falls to the ground. Cream gasps, then rushes to help her up.

"Amy, are you all right?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. Huh?" Amy notices the Chronus Ray. "What's this?" Amy picks up the ray and rubs it once. There is no Eggman insignia on the Chronus Ray.

"It looks like a...water gun," replies Cream in more of a question than a statement.

"Oh boy. Looks like some little boy's gonna go home crying tonight," presumes Amy with a shrug. There _were_ a lot of children at the park during the picnic, so her hypothesis is sound.

"Do you think they're still here?" Cream asks in her ever-friendly tone.

"I'd doubt it. Even though Eggman got his stinky egg butt busted, it looks like everyone's leaving anyway. Besides, it is getting late. We should probably just hold onto it for now." She gives it to Cream, who looks at it for a moment. Amy stumbles over Sonic and Tails's picnic basket.

"Ah!" Amy cries out. She kicks the basket over. "I can't believe some people would just leave their trash out in the middle of the park for others to trip on!" Amy picks up the basket and throws it into a nearby garbage can. A garbage man came in, right on cue, and picked up the same trash can and dumped it into a garbage truck. "I hope no one had anything important in there, 'cause it. Is. _Gone._" Cream hasn't been paying her any attention. Instead, she glosses her hand over the weapon's oblong barrel.

"It ... sure doesn't_ look_ like a water gun." To this, Amy scoffs, if accidentally.

"A lot of things don't look like water guns," is the reply.

Cream giggles as the ray gun hits the grass, but these soft laughs morph into childish guilt in half that time.

"S-sorry Amy." No response. Her friend stands there. Is this some form of revenge? Cream isn't sure. "Amy, I'm sorry!" Ah, she moves. Is she? Another ten seconds pass before Amy begins to turn around to - and what is this motion? A blink. Amy's eyelid falls slowly, and Cream can count the seconds. Two, three, four, five, six seconds- the blink hasn't even half-finished!

"_Amy, w-what's wrong_?" Cream takes one step forward, her foot slipping on the ray gun. A second flash makes her flinch.

"Creamwhatdidyoudo  
didyoutryfiringwateratme  
thatwaspretty  
rudeofyoubesides  
yourmothersaidyoushouldn't  
beplayingwith  
someoneelse'stoyswithoutpermission  
Ithoughtyouknewbetterthantha yourmotherwouldbe  
soashamedofyou."

_What is this?_ Cream stumbles, and looks different ways until Amy then walks off at a _**tremendous**_ speed. She moves like a bee, with most of her movements jerky and appearing half done. She is walking faster than a speeding police car- was that Eggman?

Cream is running, _sprinting_ at her top speed just to keep up, while Amy walks with a grog. Amy stops abruptly and a panting, sprinting Cream fails notice. The rabbit skids into a green dumpster. Half of a second before Cream had made impact, Amy stands at the garbage dumpster and attempts to catch her friend. A slip of a finger is what doomed this attempt.

"Creamareyouokay?!" It's stopped!

"Amy! You...You stopped!" Cream rubs her fingers across Amy's face, contorting it like a fleshy balloon before poking at her arm.

"I stopped what?" A question mark appears above Amy's head. She's heard many weird things but her eyes convey the notion that was the weirdest thing she's ever heard anyone say.

"Moving like Sonic!"

"Huh? Uh..._okaaay_..." Cream will never eat any more than 3 lollipops in one hour ever again. "Hey, where did the water gun go?"

"It must be in the dumpster!" All of a sudden, a garbage truck comes and picks up the dumpster, emptying all of its contents, including the ray gun, into the back storage of the truck. The truck then drives away casually.

"Well _that's_ great," Amy sighs. "How are we supposed to return the toy?" And at that moment, Cream began to cry, perhaps guilty about what she has unintentionally done. "_Ack!_ Cream! It's all right! It's all right! Don't worry! Besides, whoever lost it will probably get a new one." Cream sniffles.

"Are you sure?" she stutters, sniffling.

"Never been more!" Amy then glances at a clock fixed on a building. It's 7 o'clock. The sky is a deep red and the sun is below the horizon. In other words- Amy, and Sonic, is late for a certain something.

"_**Oh my gosh! I've gotta get to that Station Square beauty salon! I'm so late!**_"

"Why? What's wrong?"

"Sonic promised to meet me there for a night date in Station Squa- did I say _promise_? I meant _SWORE_ to meet me there! And if he's late again..." Amy, eyes squinted in anger, suggestively beats the palm of her hand with her Piko Piko Hammer until red. "_BUT!_ Sonic would _never_ miss it for the world! After all, it _is me _he's going out with!" Twinkles appear in Amy's eyes.

"I hope it goes well Amy!" Cream cheers, clasping both of her hands onto one of her friend's.

"Oh don't worry, it will! But to look my best, I needed to reserve an appointment at this really, really high-end salon, but way on the other side of the country and my appointment was 5 minutes ago."

"Wow! How are you going to get there in time?"

"Well..." Cream's eyes flash as a very recognizable sparkle dances on the rock skin of a Chaos Emerald. Amy grows a devious smile.

"No way!"

"Yes way!"

"Are you really going to..."

"You'd better believe I am! I won't let Sonic, Shadow, and Silver have _all_ the fun!" Amy begins to run off.

"I wish you luck, Amy!" Cream waves with both hands as Amy waves back.

"Thanks, Cream! See you lateeeer!" Amy becomes earshot.

"Bye- _heeey!_" Cream remembers this at the very last possible moment- _what happened to walking her home?_

OoOo~OoOoOo~OoOoOoOo~OoOo~OoOo~OoOoOo~OoOoOoOo~OoOo

**3 Years Ago**, from December 2008 to April 2009, I came up with a bizarre and visual oriented fanfiction known as SBDRF: Sonic and Blaze Do Russia Future. Far removed from a fanfiction I wrote under the same name in 2011, as well as its recently remastered predecessor, SBDR: Sonic and Blaze Do Russia, SBDRF from 2009 was a massive undertaking of almost unequaled and unbridled creativity and seemingly avant-garde psychedelia oriented subject matter; a written form of impressionism. Nearly 400 chapters were planned, none of which could have been acted upon at the time due to the woefully inept and bare literary skills I then owned. Over 1,100 story ideas were created in a 4-month period, many of them originating as dreams, or by way of chance thoughts, specific cerebral music (usually by the act, _Radiohead_), or finely-crafted mental movies.

This is one of them.


	2. Chaotic Events

Chapter Two: Chaotic Events

* * *

Amy sprints towards the west side of Osea, where she must have planned to initiate Chaos Control for the first time all by herself. She runs past the same dumptruck from earlier, not giving it two glances. It is driving smoothly along a highway until a police car crashes into its side at full speed. It is damaged it greatly; tons of garbage leaks out. The free Robotnik jumps out of the car and jumped into the truck, forcing its driver out. The driver unfortunately looks similar to Eggman. Eggman himself pushed him into the flaming wreckage of the car. As Eggman drives away in his new wheels, the police surrounded the poor driver, who raises his hands in submissive fear. Eggman doesn't get far, as Knuckles, who just so happens to be in Osea, demolishes the front of the truck.

"What the- _Knuckles?! No!_" Eggman hops out of the truck. Before his feet can even touch the ground, he is grabbed by Knuckles.

"Where do you think _YOU'RE_ going?!" Knuckles punches Robotnik in the gut. Robotnik halves over. As Knuckles aims for Robotnik's face, a Master Emerald shard falls out of one of Robotnik's coat pockets. Knuckles then punches Robotnik a second time. Unfortunately for him, right to the police, who were about to apprehend the unlucky look-a-like.

"So looky at what we have here, eh!" announces a, perhaps Canadian, officer.

"What a _creep_." Knuckles walks past the garbage truck. But then, the shard glows- a sign of a nearby emerald shard! "What?! Another piece of the Master Emerald must be near here! But where?" He runs back to the truck. The shard glows brightest when it passes over a piece of debris strewn out from the damaged truck- a ray gun. "This toy gun... No way." Knuckles drives his knuckles into the side of the gun and cracks the ray gun in two.

Inside is a brilliantly glowing shard of the Master Emerald, hooked up to a time drive.

"This has Eggman _all_ over it." Knuckles throws the shattered ray gun down and leaves with the two shards in hand.

Without any warning, a gigantic, red butterfly net entraps him. "_WHAT THE_... _You've gotta be kidding me! WHAT _ARE THOSE REJECTS DOING _**HERE**_ _**NOW**_**?!**" Knuckles's screams fire at Team Chaotix. They have been searching for him for hours after a picture of what looked like a red echidna was seen robbing a bank of a priceless jewel surfaced. Someone offered the Chaotix a frighteningly large sum of money to capture him. Never mind the person seemed to know that it was Knuckles who committed the crime- or perhaps this person was simply assuming Knuckles is the criminal and was, in fact, the perp- but the money involved would drive even the most noble hearted to corruption!

Vector, who had just caught Knuckles with his comically oversized net, pulls his hand in, a signal for Espio and Charmy to regroup with him.

"Well boys, looks like it's finally payday!" smarts Vector. His gruff voice irritates Knuckles. If he had ears, veins would be visible on them.

"Good thing he destroyed the garbage truck when he did, or else we _never_ would have found him in time," points out Espio.

Knuckles's right eye twitches. "OK, look, I'll give ya'..._10 seconds_. 10 seconds... before you _die_."

"I'd hate to burst your butt veins, Knux, but you've been charged with robbery," Vector adds, arms folded.

"_W-what?_ That's insane! Guys, you know me! I'd never do something like that."

"Nice try, _thief! _But we won't give in to your evil, lamebrained demands, _EVER!_" Was this Charmy's finest attempt at annoying Knuckles? Because it's _working_.

"Whatchu' say, brat?!" Knuckles uses his knuckles to rip the weak net.

"Hey! I paid good money for that net!" But Vector's headphones are snatched off his ears and snapped in half on Knuckles's knee before one of the knuckles socks the crocodile in the gut. The force throws Vector back. He growls as he grabs his ears.

Next thing he knows, Vector is lifted into the air. "This time, you guys are gonna get it _right up your_-"

"Drop the croc."Knuckles, blind with anger, swiftly about faces. His eyes connect with Espio's, and his fist rivals six sharpened shuriken blades.

"_I get it! Today you __**WANNA**__ get dropped!_" Knuckles clashes his fists together. Espio raises his arms. He's trounced, and a fist smashes across Espio's face. Knuckles grabs him by his legs, throws him into Charmy, and slide kicks Vector. The pile up begins with Vector at base, Charmy in the middle, and Espio topping them off.

Team Chaotix has just been owned in one and a half seconds.

"Retreat!" The Chaotix run like cowards into a stub, dead-end alley. They back up to the wall. Knuckles charges at them, a mad and empty-eyed bull.

"Hurry! Build a wall!" Charmy cries at the last possible second. They comically begin moving at hyper speed, somehow building a red brick wall right at the alley entrance. Where the bricks came from is a cartoon mystery.

"Ha! Can't get past _this_ one, eh Big Red?" taunts Vector as he checks his fingernails in a smug victory pose. The Chaotix really _must_ Knuckles to drop them today.

"_**STUPID #*$* &#% &* WALL!**_" Knuckles charges the wall, breaking it all down in one single, rage filled punch. Forgive my telling you this, but it is hilarious- The Chaotix scream in utter fear and terror. They hold each other as Knuckles goes to town.

The broken net, of all things, is the stumbler of the infamous emo, Shadow the Hedgehog, but the ebony-on- black hedgehog scarcely notices at first. He looks on, scowling, at the scrap between Knuckles and the Chaotix. He folds his arms and sighs. Pity fills his sigh.

"Imbeciles. Always fighting over nothing." Shadow picks the net- this net!- and looks back at the alley. He walks away with the ripped net. Down the road, he meets up with Rouge and Omega, who were waiting for him near an ice cream parlor.

"Here, Rouge, it's the net you wanted for... whatever you wanted it for."

"Shadow, are you serious? I can't use this!"

"You asked for a net, I got you a net. I have better things to do with my evening than to look for nets."

"Like what?" To no surprise to Rouge, or perhaps to something akin to this, Shadow makes no tangible or audible response. "Oh come on! Don't you even _want_ to-"

"_No!_ Do it on your time. If GUN were to issue a critical mission and I couldn't complete it because I'm searching for a net..." And Shadow doesn't finish the sentence before walking away.

_Beep beep! Beep beep!_ A mission has been called in.

"Mhm hm. Yes. Ok. We'll tell 'im, Commander." Rouge whispers something to Omega.

"Shadow, you must return. You must feel the stinging irony of the Commander's orders," Omega calls.

"What now?" If what Omega said is true, then...

"The mission issued for you to complete today is... to locate and procure, quote, 'one brand new, twenty by twenty foot red net." As Omega finished the mission briefing, one could almost _hear_ the veins throbbing out of Shadow's head.

"Wow, that _is_ stinging irony," returns Rouge. She drags this net by Shadow to increase his embarrassment. It is, in fact, red. And it is twenty by twenty. But if one thing can be agreed on, sugar-coating would ever convince a sane man this mess is 'brand new.'

"If the Commander has requested one, then it must be worth doing. Where are we supposed to find another huge net like this one?" Shadow's tone is gray and serious.

"Hmm...I don't... _Ah!_ The petite purple princess has one!"

"Who? Blaze?" Shadow doesn't recall Princess Blaze being the kind of person who would own an unnecessarily large, red net.

"Exact-a-mundo," Rouge playfully replies. She's enjoying every minute, every aspect of this.

"If that's the case, you know where to find me. I'm going into that cat's royal palace and taking that stupid red net, whether she wants me to or not." For as long as he's known her, he assumes she'd be like him- the kind of person who'd be rightfully annoyed by such a sight. Why this news sounds so off, he doesn't know.

"Well, if you really want to have an entire kingdom shooting at you, don't come crying to me saying it was my fault you got torn to shreds."

"I don't care. For reasons their own, GUN leaders want a big, red net, so I'll have to give them one, no matter the costs. And Blaze-"

As if by divine intervention, a certain purple cat crosses their path. However, it is not Princess Blaze. In fact, it is _Big_! And guess what he has- one brand _spanking _new...

_Big. Red. Net._

"Great, do I _have_ to..." Shadow becomes silent. He pinches the area between his eyes, and walks up to Big. He sighs and mutters, "Why couldn't it have just been the cat girl? Why does it have to be...-_Big_! Listen! I'm on an important assignment for GUN, the Guardian Units of Nations," Shadow speaks in a slower pace, "and one of their leaders is requesting a big-red-net. And you have exactly what I need! So...pl..ple...pleas..please...may I have...the net..?"

"Hmm...If I give _you my _net, will _you_ give _me_ ice cream?" Big smiles ear to ear, eyes closed.

"_WHAT?!_! J-just give me the net you- ...No...Shadow, control yourself... I just have to finish this farce already..._YES!_ If you give me the net, I will give you _ice cream_," Shadow growls. The hedgehog is a water heater, with the pressure inside of him rising at a dangerous rate.

"Okey Dokey!" Big stands in front of Shadow. He scratches the back of his head and rolls his eyes, humming a happy tune. A vein pops out of Shadow's forehead. His patience wears thin. Very, _very_ thin.

"...Well? The net?"

"You give me ice cream first!" Shadow puts his foot down.

"_ARGH!_ You're not a princess, you overgrown baboon, if you want your filthy..." For some reason, there's some motes of irony in his rampage. Shadow calms again. "Okay...Just give the dullard his treat and we'll be done with it." Shadow briskly walks for a nearby ice cream parlour. He originally planned to just take the net and walk off, but Big threw a gigantic monkey wrench in _that_ plan. Rouge begins to say,

"How's the-"

"Shut up."

"Hmph. _Some_body's feelin' a bit grumpy today." Rouge thinks for a second. "Oh, Omega!" She calls in a singsong voice. "I have a great idea! Let's play a little game!"

"I accept your challenge." Suddenly, Rouge looks a bit piffed, but a playful kind of piffed.

"Ugh, you accept and I didn't even tell you the mission yet? What if I said the game was to suck Doctor Eggman's toes?"

In the ice cream shop, Shadow picks out a random vanilla ice cream cone. He walks out with it, passing up Rouge and Omega with their ripped red net on the ground. He then presents the ice cream to Big, who has his new red net on the ground as well. Shadow flinches. If only he could just take it and run...

"Here's your ...ugh...ice cream. Now give me that net _now_."

"But there's no sprinkles!"

"No! You've gotten your ice cream,! NOW GIVE ME THAT NET!"

"Gimme a cone with sprinkles, then I'll give you my the net!" Big happily chirps.

"Son of a..." Shadow takes a deep inhale and walks away. "What was the Commander _thinking_?" He walks back inside the shop. He comes out with a sprinkled ice cream cone. He presents it to Big.

"Mmm..." Big mulls over the colourful cone.

"What is it_** now?!**_" Shadow screams. Rouge giggles in the background.

"This is vanilla! I wanted _chocolate_!" Big folds his arms and sits on a car, causing it to tilt sharply into the air. The car alarm wails.

"_Urrrggghh!_" Shadow grabs his head and walks back to the ice cream parlour. " Must...resist...killing urges..."

"What? Is he going to do that all day?" ponders Rouge. "Ugh, I have a _game_ to win, Shadow." Shadow comes out with a chocolate ice cream cone and once again, presents it to Big.

"This is your last chance! Here's your _dumb _ice cream treat. Now give me the net!"

"You forgot the sprinkles!" Shadow loses it. He lunges at Big, but stops himself mid jump. Anger, once flooding his face, drains. A feeling of calm overcomes him.

"This... this is for the mission...The mission...the mission...the mission... I can't let frustration overwhelm myself again... Not... Not like last time." Shadow runs for parlour again with a new outlook on life.

"Is he going to be _OK_?" asks Rouge.

"Shadow has been through far worse," replies Omega. "He is made to withstand pressures thrice times greater than anything we can stand."

"Hm. Why did I even ask?" Rouge smiles warmly at Omega and winks at Big. She then returns her attention to Shadow. Actually, Shadow dashes madly, nearly knocking over several people. He skids in front of Big and holds out the sprinkle covered chocolate ice cream cone as calmly as he possibly can.

Big doesn't take it.

"Umm..." Big stands up, and the parked car comes crashing down. Shadow's tolerance for Big's simplemindedness grows nanoscopically thin.

"_T...T.. TAKE THE %&$*$# #$ ICE CREAM CONE!_"

"Shadow, language!" Rouge mockingly gasps, as if she has never heard the stressed hedgehog shout obscenities before.

"Hmmm...Does it have _cookie dough_ in it?"

"Ew," Rouge comments. "Cookie dough in ice cream? Disgusting." Shadow falls to his knees.

"I can't _believe_ this!"

"Nope. He's _not_ going to be OK."

"I have been wrong before. Inversely, I have never failed before," Omega gloats in his usual emotionless monotone.

"Shut your trap, Omega. Shadow's bound to lose it all any second now."

Shadow rams the ice-cream parlour door down and jumps over the counter. He shoves a bunch of cookie dough bits into the ice cream and runs back outside and shoves it in Big's mouth.

"There's your ice cream! Now please. The net?" Big spits it out.

"It's too soft. I want _hard _ice cream!"

Shadow groans in disgust. He once again runs to the Ice Cream parlour, repeats the earlier steps, except that he gets the chocolate, sprinkled covered, cookie dough infested ice cream cone. He also makes sure it didn't melt first as well. He brings it to Big.

"Here's the ice cream! N..Now! T..the net!?"

"MMM! ...Um..." Big looks at the fresh ice cream cone. His eyes squint slightly, as if he is scrutinizing every square inch of the cone.

"What? WHAT?!"

"I changed my mind! I want plain vanilla. Oh, and in a bowl!"

"! ... _**CHAOS**_ ... !" Shadow jumps into the air and wraps his energy around his fists to form a Chaos Spear.

"Shadow, stop it! Just get the cat his ice cream and we'll be done."

"Ice cream?! Okay! Fine! _**Why don't I just give him GUN to go with it?!"**_

"OK!"

"What?!" Shadow turns around.

"Give me GUN and _two_ chocolate, sprinkled, cookie dough-filled ice cream cones and I'll give you my net!"


	3. The Edge

Chapter Three: The Edge

* * *

"..._RRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!_" Nothing. He can take nothing anymore. A gale erupts from his body, blowing Rouge, Omega, and even Big off of their feet. Shadows quills stand on end and wave like a flag in a hurricane. A crater forms around the hedgehog as the ground collapses in on itself. A faint red aura can be seen traced around Shadow. His eyes glow a menacing blood colour.

Shadow walks to Big, puts one foot on the cat's gut, and emotionlessly threatens, "_Give me __**the net**_."

"Oh, Sha-dow!" sings Rouge. She drags Big's net around Shadow with an arrogant smirk on her face and nose pointed in the air.

"What the..."

"Well, early on, me and O here decided to play a little game. While you were getting Big's ice cream, we traded his brand-new net for our broken net. Turns out he needed a broken net anyway to give to his pet frog as a gift. Yeah, I know, don't ask me." Shadow listens but nothing is registering. It all sounds like gibberish, everything after 'game'. "_SO_ once you lost it, the loser would be forced to tell you that we had the net all along and the winner would get this 1-Day-Off Pass I got from GUN. And since it took you _over_ 10 minutes, Omega won." Rouge pouts, looking down with a frustrated look, and folding her arms when she says 'Omega won'.

A crack of electricity smacks Rouge across the face. Her cheek reddens and throbs.

"Ow... Shadow, what was...Ah!" Rouge looks at Shadow in great awe. Small rocks around Shadow defy gravity as they lift off of the ground and float in the air. Nearby trees' leaves rustle as an even stronger gale emanates from the jet black and crimson hedgehog. Shadow is looking straight down, with empty eyes. The faint red aura is much stronger now, rising off of Shadow like a translucent fire.

"So this was all a game? To see me break down?" Shadow's voice is a hush and low.

"Well, um, yeah...Uh...No need to get so angry over it." Streams of sweat slip down Rouge's temple. She hadn't expected Shadow to react _this _violently.

"Rouge, my sensors detect the life form known as Knuckles the Echidna."

"What?! Why him and why now?" Rouge looks over her shoulder and as soon as she does, there is Knuckles, already in her face.

"What are you _guys_ doing?" asks Knuckles. One of his arms is in a folded position while his other hand is on the side of his muzzle, curious as to what Team Dark is doing.

"Wouldn't you like to know," replies Rouge.

"I _had _to ask," sarcastically remarks Knuckles.

"Hmmmm...Never mind, Sonic, I don't want ice cream anymore." Shadow is... _there_. He is on the thin line between sanity and insanity. Not only has Big just said he didn't want ice cream anymore, but now he confused him with Sonic.

Instead of losing his mind, Shadow sighs and gives in. Big- _BIG THE CAT_- has just defeated the _Ultimate Life Form_. _**Mentally**_.

"We got the net. Let's go." Shadow folds his arms and looks away, slightly embarrassed.

"Fine with me," Rouge replies, shrugging. She closes her eyes as she follows Shadow.

"Affirmative- mission complete." Omega begins walking with Team Dark. Shadow passes by Knuckles first. Omega, taking one step for every three Rouge takes, is second. Rouge is behind.

"Wait, what's this?" Knuckles snatches the red net from Rouge. The bored bat had a firm grip on the net, so the result of Knuckles's mindless action speaks for itself.

"Knuckles, no!" With Knuckles snatching one side and Rouge holding the other, the net snaps right in two.

Silence.

More silence.

"Knuckles...D..do..you know what you've done?"

Knuckles does not notice the impending tragedy. He sees the red net Big is holding. "Hey, isn't that the same red net Vector had earli-" A sucker punch from the side by Shadow shoots Knuckles into a building, causing a huge dust cloud. The impact stuns several civilians who begin running and screaming. Shadow detaches his two golden wristlets Power Inhibitors from his gloves. His red aura is replaced by a brilliant, expansive golden one.

He looks up, revealing white, empty, inflamed eyes. His close-body aura blows up and becomes a massive, fiery aura five times the size of the hedgehog himself, taller than a one story building and behaving more erratically than any wildfire. With this, he begins to turn red. The aura begins to turn silver. In the blink of an eye, he strikes Knuckles, taking down the entire building.

"Shadow! Wait, stop! You don't have to kill him!" shouts Rouge. Shadow did not respond. He dashed back where Knuckles was and threw down hundreds of Chaos Spears in only a few seconds. He then charged up a truly brutal Chaos Spear, one tremendously larger than normal, and throws it at Knuckles, resulting in a massive shockwave and mushroom cloud explosion.

"If Shadow does not desist withing thirteen seconds-" SMACK! BOOM! "-_six_ seconds, the echidna will die."

"Shadow! Didn't you hear him?! _He's going to die_-"

"_SCREW HIM! I'VE HAD ENOUGH OF ALL THIS BULL!_" Shadow shook his fist at Rouge, then formed a dangerously lethal ball of Chaos energy in that very hand as well, possibly as a warning to STAY OUT OF HIS WAY or else she would be killed. "_I'LL DO WHATEVER I WANT TO DO TO COMPLETE THIS MISSION! IF KNUCKLES DECIDED TO GET IN MY WAY, THEN HE MUST DIE!_"

"But Shadow...Wait! Knuckles! He said Vector has a red net!"

"Vector _HAD_ a red net- the one the cat...Blaze..._she_ still has a big red net..." Shadow jumps into the air and flies off abruptly.

"Shadow! Ugh! Sometimes I hate the way he does things!" Rouge and Omega swiftly follow Shadow, who flew over the open ocean, causing massive, sparkling waves under him. Rouge grabs Omega, half of red net in hand, and flies over the ocean as well.

"Bye Sonic!" cries Big. He gets up and holds up the net. "Where did this come from?" He throws it down and walks away. Knuckles, bruised, bloody, and broken, groans as he struggles to get to his feet.

"What...what was that for...What did I do?!"

"HA-HA! SERVES YOU RIGHT!" shouts Charmy from a distance. The Chaotix gets up and run, er, limp-and-crawl away. Knuckles stays silent. But then he looks around frantically.

"No...Shade, I blew it..." Knuckles had lost the Master Emerald shards. They could be anywhere in the wreckage of the broken street. In the heat of the battle, they may have been strewn somewhere else, like into the ocean or into the sky. In his condition, there was no way Knuckles could search for them without passing out and/or dying. He falls back to the ground, now REALLY a failure of a treasure hunter. All of a sudden, though, he begins to digitalize away, as if it seems he's being erased from existence or something.

OoOo~OoOoOo~OoOoOoOo~OoOo~OoOo~OoOoOo~OoOoOoOo~OoOo

Shadow, supercharged, dashes across the ocean at sonic speed, bent on finding that other red net. As he crosses at supersonic speeds, jets of water rise out of ocean like liquid volcanic eruptions before crashing down with grace. Shadow's too far ahead to be wettened. He screams off into the purple horizon. But then he stops, hovering just above the water's edge via his jet shoes. Now we're at the"Where do we go now, What do we do now" stage.

"Agh! The Shrine is on the other side of the Federation!" Shadow quickly punches the palm of his hand, then decides to use Chaos Control. He bites his lip, still enraged by what had just occurred. Still, one part of him doesn't find any of this necessary over a comically enlarged red net.

"Shadow! Wait! Where 'you going?" Rouge calls out. She and Omega are sprinkled with dripping, reddened, water droplets.

"Chaos...CONTROL!" In the blink of an eye, Shadow warped away. Rouge and Omega are lucky enough to be close by. Otherwise, they would have been stranded in the middle of the ocean.

OoOo~OoOoOo~OoOoOoOo~OoOo~OoOo~OoOoOo~OoOoOoOo~OoOo

They reappear at the Master Emerald shrine. Otherwise the dead of night, the three are warmed by the gentle glow of the Master Emerald. Shadow briskly walks up the stairs of the shrine, closely followed by Rouge.

"Finally." He stands in front of the Master Emerald and folds his arms. As he looks upon it, the thought that all of this occured just over a simple red net, one they could have simply bought at an Acme store, begins to dawn on him.

"Shadow, what's going on?" Rouge asks, somewhat worn out by the chase.

"I've got to get to the princess's dimension to find her red net right now!" Shadow extends his hands. "Master..."

"Uh, Shadow?"

"What?" Shadow quickly turns his head and sees Rouge walk up to the side of the emerald. Her hand rubs against the crystalline exterior of the emerald. That is, until it reaches a dip.

"The Master Emerald- look!" Rouge points out that the Master Emerald is incomplete.

"No! This can't be..." Before Shadow can start groaning about this, Rouge flashes the 2 missing Master Emerald pieces. "What in the ... how did you-"

"A girl has her ways." Rouge walks up to the Master Emerald and slyly walks around it. "That Knuckles isn't too bright of a treasure hunter. I sneaked these mammoth pieces away from him while he wasn't looking."

"I don't have time to hear your pathetic love stories. Fix the emerald or get out of my way," Shadow demands in his usual, emotionless, Lord Kelviny tone.

"Love stories? Ha! I've heard better lies from a jewel thief. Oh wait, never mind. Anyway, pretend I don't know how to fix the Master Emerald. Because I don't."

"Arg! I need that Echidna! Without him, this mission is as good as failed," Shadow now regrets pulverizing the echidna to a red goo. Rouge tries putting the pieces in their correct places. As she does, a bright, almost blinding, jade-emerald light emanates from the shards. As the light dims, the crevices disappear.

"Well will you look at this?" Rouge looks at the emerald, stunned.

"It's ... fixed?"

"To perfection. I don't know how I did it, but it's done." Rouge is curious.

"Good, now to use this thing."

"You know, when we're done, and if Knuckies ain't back yet, I could really stea- er, "borrow" this beautiful thing," Rouge whispers as she smiles with greed and lust.

'What. A. Fool. Does she really think we have time for greed?'

"Shadow. Rouge. We are wasting time," Omega calls. He never joined Shadow or Rouge at the top of the altar. While they were having fun restoring the Master Emerald, Omega was scanning the environment. As he finished, jets in the robot's back activate. Flames shoot downward and propel Omega up.

"O's right, Shadow. It's already pr'tty late and we still don't have the red net. Something tells me The Commander's going to really get on you for taking so long on a simple mission like this."

"Whatever, just warp." Shadow summons the power of the Master Emerald to send the three into Blaze's world. "Master... Control!" An utterly white light flashes from the Master Emerald as it complies to Shadow's demand. A storm of electricity squeals and laughs as it dances around Team Dark. In milliseconds, the three disappear with the light. But as they disappear, someone else falls out of the light.

OoOo~OoOoOo~OoOoOoOo~OoOo~OoOo~OoOoOo~OoOoOoOo~OoOo

"Shoot shoot shoot shoot shoot shoot! Where is it Where is it! Please don't tell me anyone has it! Good Lord, if anyone has that, I'm dead... It's over...It's the end of Blaze the Cat ...NO! I still have time- I think...ARGG! NO! IT'S OVER!" Blaze looks around. "Great, where am I? What happened? Am I in Sonic's world AGAIN? Wait, oh, DUH! That's the Master Emerald!"

Blaze's arms are moving so fast, it looks as if she has dozens of them. She tries to point at the Master Emerald, but winds up looking like a homicidal schizophrenic ADHD patient. She really is that frantic. "How'd I get here? What happened? NO TIME TO FIND OUT! AGH! I'M DOOMED! NO...Must...control...panic...I should go to Sonic for this." Blaze sees a dark red object. "AHG! THAT LOOKS LIKE ONE OF THOSE BATONS SONIC GOT ON HIS LAST ADVENTURE...Didn't he give it to Tails? Yes! Yes! He had this one in his workshop! Sonic might be there if this is here!"

Note, Blaze is speaking so fast that her many words run amok, smashing into each other like a derailed train.

She runs off of the fallen Angel Island in a panic-ridden search for Sonic. She comes across Tails's Mystic Ruins workshop where she sees Tails and Sonic outside opposite of each other. "Yes! Phew...Finally, good luck for once!" She runs towards the two and her maximum possible speed.

"It's still not opening, Sonic," Tails pouts. He puts down a Chaos Emerald powered laser and admits defeat.

"Man, that's one stubborn book. Guess we'll just have to try again tomorrow."

"Okay." Tails gets up and puts the book inside his workshop. At the moment he closes the door behind him, Blaze runs up to Sonic.

"WHOA! Oh! Hey Blaze, you scared me-"

"SONIC, no time! You have to help me find something!"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, wait, slow down for a seco-"

"SONIC, NO TIME FOR THAT! MY LIFE IS ON THE LINE HERE!"

"Okay? Listen, Blaze, I'd help anybody in need, especially a friend, but right now, I kind of have my hands full."

"WWAAAHH! I'M DOOMED! NOO!" Blaze, excessively flamboyant in her actions, falls to ground crying.

"Blaze, what's wrong with you?" Sonic realized that no matter how "changed" Blaze was, for her, crying and whining like this was completely out of her character, which meant something was terribly wrong.

"I'm doomed! Doomed, I tell you! I'M TRAPPED IN THE FLAMING WRECKAGE OF MY DOOMED LIFE! NOOOO! I'M SO DOOMED!"

"Blaze, calm down and tell me what happened."

"I don't know! It just...just slipped from me!"

"I see. And what does it look like?"

"Well, it's lavender, like me, and it has a golden lock on it, and it's a bit aged, but-oh, and it's a book, my diary actually, don't tell anybody though-" Sonic suddenly gasps.

"Blaze..."

"DID YOU SEE IT?"

"WHAT WAS _YOUR _BOOK DOING IN _MY _FACE?"

OoOo~OoOoOo~OoOoOoOo~OoOo~OoOo~OoOoOo~OoOoOoOo~OoOo

OoOo~OoOoOo~OoOoOoOo~OoOo~OoOo~OoOoOo~OoOoOoOo~OoOo

OoOo~OoOoOo~OoOoOoOo~OoOo~OoOo~OoOoOo~OoOoOoOo~OoOo

OoOo~OoOoOo~OoOoOoOo~OoOo~OoOo~OoOoOo~OoOoOoOo~OoOo

Did Cream get home?

What about Amy's date?

Was Eggman really jailed for good?

When Knuckles mentioned Shade, why did he say "I blew it"?

What happened to Knuckles?

Who stole the jewels and framed Knuckles?

Who called the Chaotix?

What would the Chaotix do next?

Would Knuckles want revenge on Shadow?

What happened to Shadow, Rouge, and Omega?

What is it about the mysterious boo- er, Blaze's diary that would make her act so Out-Of-Character?

Finally, How the **** Did Blaze's diary get on Sonic's face, like, for real?

Anyway, this is the end of the original ASoIE. Up next is it's lesser read spawn, A Series of Unusual Events. Please Review (concrit, if you can) and Continue to part two.


End file.
